James Kirkwood, Jr. (August 22, 1925 – April 22, 1989) was an American playwright and author born in Los Angeles, California. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or Drama. An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West His father, James Kirkwood, Sr. was an actor and director in silent films and his mother was actress Lila Lee. James Kirkwood Sr (b February 22 1875, Grand Rapids Michigan - d Lila Lee ( July 25, 1901 – November 13, 1973) was a prominent screen Actress of the early Silent film era He died in 1989 of spinal cancer.

He wrote the semi-autobiographical novel There Must be a Pony, which was made into a television film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Wagner. Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (born 27 February 1932) is a two-time Academy Award -winning English-American actress Robert John Wagner (born February 10, 1930) is a Golden Globe - nominated prolific American Film and Television In the story, the main character (Jimmy) acted in the 1950s TV series, Valiant Lady, as Kirkwood himself did in real life. Other novels include P. S. Your Cat Is Dead! (adapted into a play of the same name, which was, in turn, adapted into a film by Steve Guttenberg), Good Times/Bad Times, Some Kind of Hero, and Hit Me With A Rainbow. PS Your Cat Is Dead is a Novel, a play and a movie written by James Kirkwood Jr Steven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg (born August 24 1958) is an American film and television Actor. Some Kind of Hero is a 1982 film starring Richard Pryor as a returning Vietnam War veteran having trouble adjusting to civilian life

Kirkwood was a personal friend of Clay Shaw, the New Orleans businessman tried on conspiracy charges by District Attorney Jim Garrison in the murder of President John F. Kennedy. This is an article about the New Orleans businessman See E Clay Shaw Jr Earling Carothers "Jim" Garrison ( November 20, 1921 - October 21, 1992) &mdash who changed his first name to Jim in the John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Shaw was later acquitted and the story of the trial spawned Kirkwood's book American Grotesque.

He won Broadway's 1976 Tony Award as writer for Best Book (Musical) with collaborator Nicholas Dante for A Chorus Line. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented Nicholas Dante (born circa 1942 - May 21 1991) was an American Dancer and Writer, best known for A Chorus Line A Chorus Line is a musical about seventeen Broadway Dancers auditioning for spots on a Chorus line. Other awards include the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama (both for A Chorus Line). The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of twenty-two Drama Critics from daily Newspapers, Magazines and Wire services The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, A Chorus Line is a musical about seventeen Broadway Dancers auditioning for spots on a Chorus line. He also wrote the comedic play Legends! which toured the USA with Mary Martin and Carol Channing in the mid-1980s. Mary Virginia Martin ( December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American Tony Award -winning star of stage film Carol Elaine Channing (b January 31 1921, Seattle Washington) is an American Singer and actress. The plot concerns a producer with sure-fire commercial script, but no credibility, who lures two out-of-work but long-time feuding actresses "of a certain age" to star in his putative Broadway production. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The show was the most financially successful road production of that season, but when producers insisted on cutting an important speech about breast cancer by Mary Martin's character, the actress declared she would complete her contractual obligation, but would not open the play in New York, on Broadway. Breast cancer is a Cancer that starts in the cells of the Breast in women and men Mary Virginia Martin ( December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American Tony Award -winning star of stage film New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The show closed on the road. Kirkwood wrote a book about the production of Legends! entitled The Diary of a Mad Playwright.

A revival of Legends! has been mounted with Joan Collins and Linda Evans of Dynasty fame. Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE (born 23 May 1933) is a Golden Globe Award -winning English actress and bestselling Linda Evans (born Linda Evenstad on November 18 1942 in Hartford Connecticut) is a Golden Globe -winning and Emmy nominated American Actress A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations Booked for more than 30 cities in the United States and Canada beginning in autumn 2006, the play is scheduled to make its long-awaited Broadway debut in Spring 2007. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page

Bibliography

• Novels

There Must Be A Pony!
Good Times/Bad Times
Hit Me with a Rainbow
Some Kind of Hero (novel)
P.S. Your Cat Is Dead
I Teach Flying (unfinished)

• Plays

U. A Chorus Line is a musical about seventeen Broadway Dancers auditioning for spots on a Chorus line. Thomas Meehan is a Tony award -winning writer best known for Annie, The Producers and Hairspray. Annie is a musical based upon the popular Harold Gray Comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles PS Your Cat Is Dead is a Novel, a play and a movie written by James Kirkwood Jr T. B. U. (Unhealthy To Be Unpleasant)
Legends!
A Chorus Line (book - co-authored with Nicholas Dante)
Stage Stuck (co-authored with Jim Piazza)

• Nonfiction

American Grotesque
Diary of a Mad Playwright

External links

• GLBTQ entry
• imdb entry
• The James Kirkwood collection at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University contains unpublished manuscripts, letters and memorabilia
• The James Leo Herlihy collection at the same location contains several poems written by Kirkwood and sent to Herlihy, along with several letters from Kirkwood to Herlihy